February 21, 2017

SVSU Board approves Master of Social Work program, campus updates

The Saginaw Valley State University Board of Control approved adding a Master of Social Work degree program to the curriculum during the Board’s regular meeting Monday, Feb. 20.

SVSU expects about 20 students to enroll in the new graduate program when it begins in the 2017 fall semester, and ultimately expects the program to welcome 80 new students each year.

SVSU has one of the largest undergraduate social work programs in Michigan with 440 students majoring in the field this year. In 2015, 94 percent of SVSU social work students passed the international licensing exam on their first try, compared to a 71 percent overall pass rate for everyone who took the same exam in the United States and Canada.

In recent years, roughly 60 percent of SVSU students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work went on to enroll in a Mater of Social Work program at other institutions. SVSU plans to market the new program to its social work graduates, as well as those graduating in programs such as sociology, psychology, criminal justice and health sciences.

The Board also approved two capital projects. The Board authorized spending up to $800,000 for maintenance and various improvements to M.J. Brandimore House, a campus residence hall. The Board also authorized spending up to $525,000 for repair and resurfacing of several campus parking lots and roadways.

In other action, the Board:
•    Appointed a nominating committee for May board elections.
•    Approved granting emeritus status to Ron Trepkowski, who retired in 2016 after serving on University Police for 36 years, including more than a decade as police chief.
•    Approved granting tenure to 18 faculty: Arundhati Bagchi Misra, mathematics; Jennifer Chaytor, chemistry; Kyle Cissell, chemistry; Adam Coughlin, kinesiology; Denise Dedman, social work; Warren Fincher, sociology; Stacie Krupp, accounting; John Lowry, kinesiology; James McEvoy, biology; Rhett Mohler, geography; Rajani Muraleedharan, electrical and computer engineering; Shiva Nadavulakere, management and marketing; Christopher Nakamura, physics; Annamalai Pandian, mechanical engineering; Timothy Rowlands, criminal justice; Rebecca Schlaff, kinesiology; Jason Scott, biology; Yu Zou, electrical and computer engineering.